Like a Rose
by Foam Weber
Summary: It was the last sentence of his letter that continued to haunt me. "You will not forget about me..."
1. Prologue

_He smiled suddenly, a new thought occurring to him. I forced myself not to think about how beautiful that smile was. That would get me nowhere._

"_How about this?" he asked in an excited tone of voice, "I'll give you a ten second head start."_

_As if this was some sort of game._

_As if he wasn't going to kill me the instant those seconds were up, the same way he had killed my parents and younger sister. I winced, trying not to recall the sight of the corpses lying mangled on the kitchen floor_.

I didn't want to join them.

_Instead, I nodded mutely to the man in front of me, then dashed, terrified, into the nearby living room. What was the saying? You can run but you can't hide? That wasn't true for me. I could hide. _

_I did. _

_I ducked behind my dad's comfy blue reading chair. It seemed anything but comforting now. I held as still as possible. After a few seconds of silence, I heard quiet footsteps enter into the room. All I could do was pray that he wouldn't find me._


	2. Chapter 1

_Like a rose trampled on the ground…_

_Above all_

I used to be beautiful.

I used to have dark brown hair that curled softly down my back. I used to have a cheerful smile; my Daddy had said it could light up a room. I used to have pale, soft skin. I used to have a loving mother and father, a younger sister that I bickered with constantly, and a few friends. I used to take all that for granted. I regret that now; I`ve lost them all.

My unkempt hair stays back in a tight ponytail. I no longer have any reason to smile. My skin is an unhealthy shade of white, with dark shadows under my eyes from the nightmares. As for all of my family and friends: they`re dead. All dead. And it`s all my fault. If they`d not known me, they still might have been alive today.

It was with this burden on my shoulders that I reluctantly rolled out of bed. I still felt exhausted, but the rest of the family would be up soon. I truly appreciated what the Webers had done for me. When my parents were killed, I had been put into foster care, but the Webers, my only living relatives, insisted that I come to stay with them. I would always be grateful for that. Angela was a sister to me- I loved her just like one. The boys were adorable. Mr. and Mrs. Weber were both very kind. It was for these reasons that I could never, ever show them how I felt.

I pulled on my black t-shirt and jean, then tied my hair into it`s standard ponytail. I checked that my Wall was up- I hadn`t let it down in six years- grabbed a muffin from the freezer, and trudged out the door. I was immediately soaked by the pouring rain, but I didn`t mind. The rain made everything glisten beautifully. The soft pitter-patter was like a wild music, free of rules and pattern. So unlike me, but so close. My own world was filled with rules. Don`t look at anyone directly. Don`t speak unless completely necessary. Don`t let down the Wall.

I suppose an explanation might be helpful right now. My Wall is not a hard surface made of bricks. It`s just something I`ve always been able to do. I can subtly make people look away from me when I`m hiding or in a crowd. They don`t realize what`s happening, but they can`t see me. Since I was ten years old, not one person has truly seen me.

I wandered into the omnipresent forest, following a worn trail through the trees. Under here, there was a small amount of shelter, and I was able to see around me more clearly. The rain beat a steady rhythm on the canopy of branches overhead. I sat down on a sturdy-looking log, and leaned against a nearby tree. The bark left streaks of brown on my jeans. I closed my eyes, just listening to the forest around me. After a few minutes of silence, I stood up. The feel of the cool rain on my skin was pleasant, but a nice hot bath would be welcome. A startled squirrel darted away as I began the short walk back to the Webers` house.

"Sophie! It`s suppertime!" Mrs. Weber called from downstairs. I winced, but put down my book. I slid off my bed, shut off my bedroom light, and hurried down the steps. I heard the footsteps of the others heading for the kitchen. The scent of broccoli soup drifted down the hallway. I followed it into the open room. The Webers were already sitting around the table, so I quickly sat down with them. We bowed our heads while Mr. Weber said grace, then began eating. There was no sound for the next few minutes, save the clinking of spoons. After a while, Mrs. Weber cleared her throat.

"So, school`s starting tomorrow. Are you kids excited?"

Angela nodded quickly. I just shrugged. The truth was, I was terrified. So many people… What if a teacher called on me? What if someone bumped into me in the hallway? What if I had to join in the games during gym? The list of worries went on and on. Distracted, I finished my dinner in silence.

The dreaded day arrived far too quickly. Too soon, I was stepping out the door into the pouring rain, stooped under the weight of my new backpack. Angela offered me a ride, but I declined. There was no reason to put my new sister in any more danger. Instead, I began the short trek to Forks High School. It was a good thing I`d worn my jacket; otherwise, I would have been soaked. Even so, my jeans were dripping as I made my way to my first class. I had never taken Spanish before- there wasn`t much use in New Brunswick- so I had been put back with the grade tens. It wouldn`t be a difficult class, at least. Languages came easily to me. I stepped into the classroom and sat down in the middle on the far right of the room. It was a spot that didn`t call attention to me. The rest of the class arrived early as well. No one wanted to be late on the first day. The bell, a nasal buzzing sound, signified the start of class. There were a few people chatting quietly as we waited for the teacher. I opened a notebook and began jotting down the few words I already knew.

_Hóla. ¿Cómo estás? Por favor. Si. _

The teacher entered as I wrote. She was fairly tall, with curly brown hair and glasses. She wore a brightly patterned long skirt and a matching blouse. Her large necklaces jangled as she made her way to the front of the classroom.

"¡Hóla, chiquos! ¿Cómo estás? Me llamo Sra. Rivera. Bienvenudo a la clase de español. Soy muy contento aquí. Me gusta el español."

We stared at her blankly. What did she just say? She switched to English. She had a strong accent, but I was able to make out the words.

"Hóla, everyone! You`re happy to be here, no? I am Sra. Rivera. Welcome to my Spanish class. Very fun."

She turned to the board, and wrote _presente_ neatly. She then turned back to us.

"When I call your name, you say presente, alright?" She asked us. She pulled out the list and took attendance. She then passed out a sheet for us to work on for the rest of the class.

Next period, I had gym. This was the kind of class I dreaded. It wasn`t that I was clumsy, I just didn`t see the point. No one passed to me anyway; why should I have to play? Worse, what if someone did pass to me? Everyone`s eyes might follow the ball! With fear in my heart, I made my way to the gym. It turned out not to be as bad as I had expected. The gym teacher spent the class explaining what was going to be happening. We would be starting with field hockey (oh joy), then sex ed, then continuing with the sports. Later in the year, we would be learning things like self-defense.

As fascinating as this sounded, I was relieved when the bell rang for lunch. I fell behind the crowd, preferring to have room to breathe as I made my way into the cafeteria. And then stopped.

What were vampires doing at Forks High School?


	3. Chapter 2

**AN: I do not own Twilight, or the song Above All.**

As I stared in horror, the worst possible thing that could have happened… happened. My Wall collapsed around me with a silent crash. At that moment, two of the vampires turned and looked at me. They LOOKED at me!

Choking fear froze me for a moment, and then I was running. At first, I didn't pay attention to where I was going. I just ran away from the five monsters in the school cafeteria. After a while, I noticed I was heading for the Webers' house. Or rather, the forest behind the Webers' house.

I arrived at my usual spot in the forest and collapsed, panting. I was soaking wet, but that was the least of my worries. The panting soon changed to sobs.

What was I going to do? How could I continue going to school, knowing that a group of vampires was nearby? One vampire was bad enough! Worst of all, they seemed to know that I knew. You could tell by the looks on their faces. Their cold marble faces. I shuddered. Monsters.

But what could I do? Forks was my home now. I couldn't just skip school- the Webers would be disappointed in me…

That was what helped me to decide, in the end. I didn't want to let the Webers down- not after all they had done for me.

I forced myself to begin the long trek back to school.

---

I arrived back at school out of breath, but determined. Those vampires would soon come to ignore me, just like every other student. I would be careful, not letting down my Wall for an instant. But the question remained. How had they known that I knew? I had said nothing, and I had been hidden in the crowd. They couldn't have known… not for sure, anyway. I shrugged. It didn't really make a difference.

I took a deep breath to steady myself, then I headed to my next class.

---

The following weeks passed by in a haze of fear. Although the vampires had paid no more attention to me- to anyone, actually- there was always the chance that they would. I shuddered to think about what would happen if the Volturi found out about me. A human who knew of their existence… I doubted the excuse that I had never _wanted _to know would count for much.

My nights were filled with nightmares, and fear for my new family. I was beginning to fall behind with my schoolwork.

In all, life wasn't going so well.

I prayed each night before bed, asking the Lord to make things better. And they were- temporarily, at least. December arrived, and along with it a minuscule amount of snow. This really excited the other students: snowball fights were taking place all across the schoolyard. Personally, I didn't get it. What was so spectacular about a few inches? Back at home- I stopped the thought in its tracks. I didn't want to think of home.

I trekked to the Webbers' house, glad that the December break had finally arrived. A few vampire-free weeks. Bliss. Mrs. Weber was focused on making my first Christmas with them special.

And it certainly _was _special. The house and nearby trees were drooping under the weight of the coloured lights, there was a beautiful nativity scene out front, and the house was constantly filled with the sweet aroma of baking cookies.

Christmas morning was magical. I was woken up by the shouts of the two youngest Webers. We all headed into the living room, where the shining Christmas tree seemed to be nearly buried in gifts. In front of them all…

"A puppy?" I whispered. The little Shih Tzu had a little blue bow tied around his neck, and his fluffy tail was waving madly.

"For you, dear. I know you get lonely." Mrs. Weber said, smiling vaguely in my direction. I stared in shock at my gift. I wasn't _allowed _to love. It hurt too much. As I stood there, the tiny dog came up and licked my fingers.

My heart melted.

Sunny, I decided. His name would be Sunny. He'd be my own personal sun.

Sunny wagged his tail- almost as if he approved.


	4. Chapter 3

**AN: I do not own Twilight. A special thanks to my Beta, Dream in Shadow!**

Of course, Christmas break couldn't last forever. Reluctant to go back to school, I pretended that I was sick the morning of the first day back. Mrs. Weber let me stay home with Sunny, but I think it was more out of pity than anything else. The next day, though, I had no choice but to go to school.

I woke up and groggily noticed that something was off. It was too….quiet.

My spirits lifted slightly. I saw a faint ray of sunshine on my floor. No vampires today! The vampires, whom I knew now were the "Cullens," never showed up when the sun was shining. It made the idea of the dreaded day ahead a bit more bearable.

I got ready as quickly as I could, so that I could get out before Angela offered me a ride. She still did, every morning. And every morning, I had to see the hurt in her eyes as I turned her down. Before I could quite make it out the door, Mrs. Weber approached me, holding a brown paper bag.

"I prepared your lunch today," she told me quietly, handing the bag to me. Tears formed in my eyes. This family was so kind to me. I didn't deserve it- any of it. Silently, I took the bag, and slipped out the door before I could inconvenience the Webers any more.

I didn't bother wearing a coat. It was a bit chilly, but nothing I wasn't used to. Of course, when I arrived at school, everyone else was all bundled up. Had I not had my Wall up, I probably would have gotten some funny looks. Instead, I was ignored as I made my way to first period.

Many mindless sheets of homework and one gym class later, I made my way to a grassy area outside where I sat down to eat. I opened my paper bag and glanced inside. Mrs. Weber had packed a croissant, some cranberry juice, and a chocolate chip cookie. Touched by her kindness, I made an effort to eat the food she gave me.

As I munched on the cookie, two girls walked past the grassy area. I flinched instinctively.

"I'd heard it, but I didn't think it was true." The girl with blond hair was too engrossed in the conversation to notice me.

"Oh, it is," The other girl, a short brunette, answered. "The Swan girl really is coming here."

"Do you know when?" The blond inquired.

"Sometime this month, I think."

As the two girls gossiped, I snuck away. So, there was going to be another new student. I pitied her. Not only was she going to be going to a school infested with vampires, she didn't have a Wall to protect herself from the stares of the curious students. She was bound to be noticed.

I headed to my next class. Science was definitely not my favourite subject. Every word the teacher said sounded like gibberish. The fact that there was a vampire in my class wasn't helping. I kept my seat on the other side of the classroom, just in case. It wouldn't help much if he decided to massacre the class, but I could hope that he wouldn't notice me.

The rest of the class filed in. Most of them seemed to be whispering about the new girl- what would it be like when she actually arrived? Mr. Vincent quieted everyone down, and began to teach the lesson. I doodled as he droned on, only half-listening. Biology was not one of my interests. The time passed relatively quickly. Soon, class was nearly over. I began to pack up my notes, and Mr. Vincent picked random people off a class list to answer his questions. Just a few minutes left…

"Sophie Weber?"

I froze.

Mr. Vincent had said my name. Now, he was glancing around the classroom, a slightly confused look on his face.

What could I do? I couldn't possibly answer the question- not in front of everyone. Not in front of the vampire, who, for the first time all class, actually seemed interested. But if I _didn't_ answer, the teacher might notice my name- _remember_ it- and call it again next class. Leaving me in the same position. Neither choice was safe. What could I do? I glanced desperately at the clock. With relief, I saw that there were just a few seconds left. The bell rang, and I was the first one out the door. Behind me, the vampire had a mildly puzzled look on his face.

I headed off to my next class, still shaking from my close call. What now? The teacher would go home, wondering why "Sophie Weber" hadn't answered his question. The vampire had my name, if not my face. More importantly, he had my _family_ name. I briefly considered moving again, but soon rejected the idea. I couldn't do that to the Webers.

The next class passed by harmlessly. I couldn't remember a single thing the teacher had said. It didn't really matter, anyway. Just about everything paled in importance compared to the fact that a vampire that knew that I knew that it was a vampire (if that made any sense) knew my name. The last time that that had happened, horrible things had happened- were _still_ happening.

I gathered my books, slipped into my jacket, and ran home to my puppy.

I was greeted at home by a wagging tail. A smile spread, unbidden, across my face, and I bent over to pick Sunny up. He gave my face a little lick, welcoming me back. I felt my worries slip away. True, there were monsters outside, but I had a loving puppy in my arms. Even the grey sky outside seemed brighter.


End file.
